Finding Aid

Digital Surrogates: Except where indicated, this document describes but does not reproduce the actual text, images and objects which make up this collection. Materials are available only in the Special Collections Department.

Use of Collections: The University of Iowa Libraries supports access to the materials, published and unpublished, in its collections. Nonetheless, access to some items may be restricted by their fragile condition or by contractual agreement with donors, and it may not be possible at all times to provide appropriate machinery for reading, viewing or accessing non-paper-based materials. Please read our Use of Manuscripts Statement.

Acquisition and Processing Information: The collection was created for exhibition at the University of Iowa Libraries.

Photographs: Throughout Box 2

Shirt from the exhibition

Scope and Contents

This collection contains materials relating to the University of Iowa Libraries' 2006 cARTalog exhibit. It is broken into two series. The first series contains the actual artifacts from the exhibit; the second contains supplementary materials, such as the administrative materials, correspondence, materials relating to the artists, correspondence, items having to do with the opening event, publicity and information regarding the web page associated with the project. There was also a mail art component and an elementary/high school component to the project. Material relating to these initiatives is included here as well. CDs and DVDs of the installations and the opening event are part of the collection.

Historical Note

When technology, with its online catalog, made catalog cards obsolete, University of Iowa librarians did not want to just throw away these cards, which had done such faithful duty in storing and retrieving information for generations of students, staff, and faculty, so they decided to open an exhibit of creations around old catalog cards. The project was announced in mid 2005. The kindergarten through 12th grade exhibit opened October 29, 2005. The general exhibit and mail art exhibit opened April 2006.

A festival of art, culture and a celebration of the Libraries, this opening event was the culmination of the cARTalog project and presented both the visual and performing art projects that grew from the retired catalog cards. The public non-juried art exhibition featured over 50 pieces that were submitted for the cARTalog general exhibition. Artists responded with a range of fascinating works including books, collage, clothing, sculpture and an installation piece by artist Robert Possehl that was suspended from the ceiling of the Main Library’s North Exhibition Hall. The festival included the performing arts of Peter Balestrieri and his improvisation group, Din; a children's theatrical performance of "Laughter, Liberty, Library: A Card Catalogue Adventure" written by UI Student Justine Nakase; and Comedy Improv by Lightening in a Bottle.

The cARTalog collection became a digital collection in the Iowa Digital Library in Fall of 2006.